Brazil's health system woes worsen in economic crisis.

Abstract

Budget cuts and political instability are exacerbating existing problems in Brazil's public health system amid increasing patient demand. Jonathan Watts reports from Rio de Janeiro. Austerity threatens universal health coverage in BrazilMichael Temer, Brazil's new interim president from the centre-right Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), has unveiled an agenda of austerity measures to stimulate economic growth. In the manifesto Uma Ponte Para Futuro (October, 2015), he announced plans to reduce public spending, including the education and health-care sector. The minimum budget guaranteed by the constitution (3·8% of gross domestic product at present) would be abolished. The new Health Minister, Ricardo Barros, has revealed plans to end the monitoring of private health-care quality by the National Supplementary Health Agency (Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar), while encouraging Brazilian citizens to seek private health care instead of relying on the Brazilian National Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde [SUS]). Full-Text PDF Are Brazilian elections healthy without a plan for UHC?On Oct 7, Brazilians held the first round of voting to elect a new president. With the backdrop of economic and political crisis, the election has been closely contested with a particular focus on crime and corruption. That has left little airtime to debate health-care policy at a precipitous time for the Brazilian National Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde), which faces a number of challenges. Persistent underfunding and weakening exchange rates have led to shortages of basic medicines and hospital beds, as described in a Lancet World Report . Full-Text PDF